Pre reqs before mcat?

[arthur2647]

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Is it really necessary to have all the pre reqs done before the MCAT? What if lets say by that time i will have orgo 2 left, is organic 2 really necessary to do well on the MCAT or could i still do well with just 1? thanks.

 

[Cleveland]

Ehhh...organic isn't tested as heavily on the MCAT when compared to previous years or even other subjects. If you are taking a prep course, you should be able to learn what is covered in orgo II that you will need to know for the test. If you are flying solo, you will need to teach yourself the stuff that is in orgo II that is needed for the test. It will have to do with your prep. If you feel you are still weak in that area, pick up a test question book and do every question in the book.

 

[RevMD]

Orgo is only about 30% of the Bio Sciences section of the MCAT. I have found that orgo I is more than sufficient to get a grasp of what is covered, but taking orgo II is a great way to solidify basic orgo concepts (aka practice) and turn these questions into high yield points.

You should be fine with whatever you have done already, assuming gen chem, physics, and bio courses have been taken thus far.

 

[DrSmooth]

Orgo is only about 30% of the Bio Sciences section of the MCAT. I have found that orgo I is more than sufficient to get a grasp of what is covered, but taking orgo II is a great way to solidify basic orgo concepts (aka practice) and turn these questions into high yield points.

You should be fine with whatever you have done already, assuming gen chem, physics, and bio courses have been taken thus far.

Has AAMC confirmed the 30% rumor? I was told the same thing by my Kaplan instructor but then saw 3 very long Ochem sections on my MCAT, June 2009, plus all the single questions. Made up 40-45% of the test easy. I personally would not take the MCAT before taking Ochem 2. If you look at the official MCAT guide from AAMC a lot of the Ochem concepts are from Ochem 2, and by the end of Ochem 2 my intuition was just stronger.

 

[donkeykong1]

i'm in the same boat. i think a prep course like kaplan and heavy solo prep should be fine.

 

[rockaction]

I'm a firm believer that the easiest way to do well on the MCAT is to kill the organic. That will be pretty hard if you haven't finished the class. Why settle for a potentially mediocre score? There's no sense in rushing to take it unprepared.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I'm a firm believer that the easiest way to do well on the MCAT is to kill the organic. That will be pretty hard if you haven't finished the class. Why settle for a potentially mediocre score? There's no sense in rushing to take it unprepared.

I'd agree with this statement. Come with your "A game," or don't come at all. That said, if you somehow find yourself in a position where waiting to have your second semester of organic under your belt will delay your application by a year, go ahead. Organic 2 isn't tested very heavily at all.

 

[BlueElmo]

I would take all my prereqs before taking the MCAT, I think it will be best for you that way.

 

[metallica81788]

Of course having Organic 2 would be better, but it is also the most expendable of all the prereqs for the MCAT.

If I were to pick one of them to take the MCAT without, I would pick Organic 2 - there's really not much Organic at all and 85%+ is from Organic 1.